1. Field the Invention
This invention relates to protective covers for automotive vehicles, e.g. passenger cars and pickup trucks. Such covers are commonly used to temporarily protect vehicles from the weather elements, e.g. the hot sun, snow, ice, etc.
2. Prior Developments
It is known that flexible fabric sheets can be placed over automotive vehicles to protect them from the weather elements. One such cover sheet is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,279,812 to F. Bartlett. Another somewhat similar cover is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,950,749 to G. W. MacDonald.
Such protective covers serve various purposes, e.g. to protect the vehicle interior space from the heating action of the sun, protecting glass areas from icing and freezing, protecting door locks and doors from freeze-up or sticking, shielding the outside rear view mirrors from ice, precluding the windshield wipers from freezing against the glass surfaces, and eliminating the need for windshield defrosting or snow removal.
One problem with many vehicle covers is that such covers can be readily and easily removed from the vehicle, thereby permitting such covers to be stolen. Some patents have been granted on devices for preventing the theft of covers while installed on the vehicles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,839 to J. S. Rosen shows a protective cover having a flexible strap that can be extended through a joint between an edge of a vehicle side door and the associated jamb surface at the door opening. An enlargement on the free end of the strap prevents the strap and attached cover from being withdrawn from the vehicle when the vehicle doors are locked. All of the vehicle access doors must be locked in order for this system to be effective. Also, the strap has to be formed of a high strength material that cannot easily be cut through by a scissors or knife.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,728 to Akers et al shows a somewhat similar arrangement wherein the anti-theft strap is connected at one end to the cover and at its other end to a bag. The bag is large enough to contain (or store) the protective cover when it is removed from the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,324 to H. Carden shows a flexible protective cover that can be draped over the cab portion of a sedan (four door) vehicle. The rear edge of the flexible cover carries a tubular member that extends transverse to the vehicle longitudinal centerline when the cover is draped over the roof area of the vehicle. With the rear trunk lid opened, the transverse tubular member can be inserted downwardly into the trunk interior space. When the trunk lid is closed against a rear portion of the flexible cover, the tubular member is trapped within the trunk interior space so as to serve a theft-deterrent function. A thief would have to cut through the cover along a line paralleling the joint between the trunk lid and trunk opening in order to remove the cover from the vehicle.
One problem with the arrangement shown in Carden 4,842,324 is that the entire cover has to be formed of a high strength material resistant to being cut through with a knife or scissors. The reason for this requirement is that the anti-theft tubular element is attached directly to the cover, not to a separate strap extending from the cover.
Another problem with the device disclosed in Carden 4,842,324 is that the rear edge portion of the cover has to be of relatively reduced length in order to fit between the trunk lid hinges at the joint at the front edge of the lid. The rear portion of the cover can therefore not fully cover the upwardly facing surfaces of the car body adjacent the rear corners of the upwardly protruding cab portion of the vehicle.
A problem with all existing covers known to applicant is that the covers are not equipped with alarm devices to deter thieves from removing the covers from the associated vehicles. With conventional covers, a persistent skillful thief can remove the cover form the vehicle without fear of detection. High strength scissors are available that can cut through high strength fabric straps in a relatively short period of time.